The reason for the switch is ongoing tunnel construction for both vehicles and pedestrians that provide access to the Belmont Park infield. NYRA said this is a major capital improvement that opens up the 45-acre infield to racing fans and the community. The tunnels also provide access for construction and commercial vehicles, which allow NYRA to fulfill its plans of rebuilding the main dirt track and the two turf courses.

The tunnels also give NYRA the option to put in a synthetic track, should it decide to do so.

“This investment in the future of Belmont Park will transform our racing operations and pave the way for a broader re-imaging of the facility,�?NYRA President and CEO Dave O’Rourke said in a statement. “The shift to Aqueduct this fall will minimize the overall impact on the racing schedule, and ensure continuity for the Belmont Spring/Summer Meet and the Belmont Stakes.�?/p>

Belmont at the Big A give Aqueduct four more Grade 1s

For racing fans and horseplayers, this means the 28-day Belmont at the Big A fall meet begins Thursday, September 15 and runs through Sunday, October 30. Notably, it gives Aqueduct four Grade 1 races, along with four “Win and You’re In�?Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races. Belmont at the Big A features 23 graded stakes events, 41 stakes overall and a $9.9 million total stakes purses. The Belmont at the Big A meet runs Thursdays through Sundays.

Normally, Aqueduct gets one Grade 1 race during its Fall Meet: the early December Cigar Mile. It does not get a Grade 1 during its winter meet.

NYRA officials said the Belmont at the Big A meet comes with purse increases that boost open allowance races to the six-figure level. Other categories: claiming races, maiden races and New York-bred races will also see larger purses.

To further enhance participation at the Belmont at the Big A meet, NYRA will pay a $500 bonus to the owner and $500 to the trainer of any horse finishing outside the top three in their first fall start. The bonus kicks in only if that horse’s previous start came during the Saratoga summer meet.

Get your glimpse of Derby 2023 hopefuls here

The Belmont at the Big A Grade 1s start the weekend of Oct. 1-2, with the Woodward for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles. The Champagne �?one of the top juvenile races in the country and one providing a glimpse of Kentucky Derby hopefuls �?runs that same day. It comes with a spot for the winner in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Those are two of seven graded stakes that weekend.

The Oct. 2 card includes the Grade 1 Frizette, the 2-year-old filly counterpart to the Champagne. It comes with a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies to its winner.

The final Belmont at the Big A Grade 1 race is Saturday, October 8: the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. That sends its 3-year-olds and up 1 ½ miles on the Aqueduct turf.

Belmont at the Big A Key Stakes Races

Other notable stakes races are the Grade 3 Jockey Club Derby (Sept. 17), the final race in NYRA’s Turf Triple, the Grade 2 Vosburgh (Oct. 8), a seven-furlong sprint that offers its winner a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and the Grade 2 Kelso (Oct. 29), a one-turn mile that gives the top four finishes a free nomination and paid entry fees into the Cigar Mile.

You can see a complete list of the Belmont at the Big A stakes races here.

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The average daily handle came in at $13,437,509 for the 44-day meet that ended Sunday. According to the New York Racing Association, the average daily handle at Belmont Park’s Spring/Summer meet increased 23.1% since 2019.

The total on-track handle �?reflective of on-track wagering at Big Sandy �?jumped 16.6%, to $57,531,001. That clearly eclipsed last year’s $49,343,664 on-track handle, gleaned in 48 days.

Now, the bad news. All-sources handle for the 44-day meet came in at $591,250,409 �?a nearly 6.5% plunge from last year’s $632,208,251 total. So the average daily handle increased and on-track handle increased, but the total all-sources handle dropped by more than $40 million.

What happened on Belmont Stakes Day?

The head-scratching numbers carried over to the Belmont Stakes and its massive 13-race, eight-Grade 1 event card. All-sources handle for this year’s Belmont Stakes checked in at $50,248,624. That’s a 16.8% plunge from 2021. The Belmont Stakes Day card produced $98,766,906 in all-sources handle, a 12.3% drop from last year’s $112,725,278.

That’s even more puzzling given last year’s attendance was limited to only 11,238 due to state health guidelines. This year’s attendance came in at 46,301. Belmont Park’s current capacity is 50K, due to the construction of the nearby UBS Arena.

Regardless, the presence of equine stars like Flightline, Jack Christopher, Malathaat, and Letruska on undercard races was likely offset by a mediocre Belmont Stakes field. Not even improbable Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, local eventual winner Mo Donegal, or filly Nest could inspire casual bettors.

Field size drop modest, but concerning

Along with that, Belmont Park suffered what a lot of tracks are enduring: a drop in average field size. This year’s average field size was 7.35, a modest 3.6% drop from last year’s 7.62. The NYRA ran 419 races during the 2022 Spring/Summer meet, with 233 occurring on dirt, 186 on the turf, and 26 moved off the turf due to weather.

Likely good news awaits the NYRA this week, however, with the start of the meet at Saratoga. The lucrative summer meet begins Thursday and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 5.

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“My team should be very proud of themselves and proud of what they did,�?Brown told the New York Racing Association. “Obviously, it’s never been done and they deserve every bit of it.�?/p>

Of Brown’s 47 victories, 12 came in graded stakes. The highlight there came during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival where he won four of the eight Grade 1 races. Those came with Jack Christopher in the Woody Stephens, Regal Glory in the Just a Game, Bleecker Street in the New York, and Tribhuvan in the Manhattan. Brown added a fifth Grade 1 on Saturday when McKulick captured the Belmont Oaks.

He won five Grade 2s, including his fifth consecutive score in the Fort Marcy, and two Grade 3s.

Brown hit 30% and sent you to the window 65% of the time

Brown won a sterling 30.72% of his 153 races (47-30-22). Trainers consider 20% a good season. His horses finished in the money nearly 65% of the time, banking $5,776,633.

“This was a historic meet for me, my team, my clients and �?most importantly �?the horses who do all the work,�?Brown said. “I’m a very fortunate person to be around the horses, staff and owners. I’m so happy for all of them.�?/p>

Christophe Clement finished a distant second with 33 wins. Todd Pletcher, who enjoyed a strong meet after winning the Belmont Stakes with Mo Donegal, was third with 25.

Jockey race comes down to the wire

Compared to Brown winning the training title running away, the riding title came down to Sunday’s final day. Irad Ortiz Jr. came into that final day one win behind Dylan Davis and wasted no time in drawing even, winning the first race aboard Lady Yellen. He pulled ahead four races later, piloting First To Act across the wire.

At that point, both riders had two races remaining. Ortiz gave himself a two-race cushion when he won the seventh race aboard 5/2 favorite Queen Bourbon. That was his 48^th and final victory of the meet. And he needed it after Davis won the final race of the meet with Dream of a Day to finish one back at 47.

“It feels great. Honestly, we’ve been working so hard since the year started,�?said Ortiz, who won his 19^th NYRA circuit title. “Hard work, a lot of dedication. We’ve been out there every day that they ask for me. It feels good when you win a title. We love to win the meet; it’s not easy.�?/p>

Ortiz won the Belmont Stakes and Brown’s record-setter

Ortiz won his second Belmont Stakes. He also rode Pletcher’s Dynamic One in the Grade 2 Suburban and Brown’s Bleeker Street and McKulick in their stakes victories. Ortiz finished the meet 48-32-20 in 174 starts, winning 27.59% of his starts and finishing in the money 57.47% of the time. He banked $5,149,496.

For good measure, Ortiz won Brown’s record-breaking 44^th race on July 4 aboard Demandsrespect. He won his riding title after missing a week while riding Wesley Ward’s horses at Royal Ascot.

Manny Franco finished third with 40 wins.

Michael Dubb won the Belmont Park’s owner’s title with 16 victories. That surpassed Klaravich Stables, NYRA’s dominant barn, by two victories. Dubb’s horses won $1,524,821 with a 16-10-7 mark in 61 starts â€�?a 26.23 win percentage. His Hot Peppers won two stakes races, including the Jersey Girl and Saturday’s Grade 3 Victory Ride.

The NYRA segues right into its summer Saratoga meet, which begins Thursday with a 10-race card.

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The stars aligned further Saturday at Belmont Park, when McKulick won the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational. The filly won her first Grade 1 race on July 9, which happened to be the birthday of trainer Frankel.

None of this was lost on Brown, who won his sixth career Belmont Oaks and first since 2017.

“It’s an extra special win with it being Bobby Frankel’s birthday today,�?Brown told the New York Racing Association’s Brian Bohl. “This horse is the first offspring of Frankel that I actually bought. (Owner) Seth Klarman was nice enough to let me name this filly after my very first employee after I left Frankel. That’s why I chose this horse, being by Frankel. And wouldn’t you know on his birthday, she wins a Grade 1. The irony and the importance of it today, his birthday, means everything to me personally.�?/p>

McKulick came into the 1 ¼-mile Belmont Oaks 0-for-3 in graded stakes, although she finished in the money in all three. She had a third in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo last October at Belmont Park, and two seconds. Those came at Churchill Downs earlier this year: in the Grade 3 Regret last out in June and the Grade 2 Edgewood on the Kentucky Oaks undercard in May.

McKulick improved mightily at 3

But turning 3 turned McKulick loose. Her Equibase Speed Figures went from the low 80s (81 in her first two races as a juvenile) to 103 in her two Churchill Downs outings. Saturday, it all came together. McKulick clocked a career-best 112 for her 1 ¾-length triumph over 7/1 With The Moonlight. Brown’s Consumer Spending finished a head back in third at 7/1, giving the trainer two-thirds of a trifecta that paid $152.75 for a 50 cent wager.

At 5/1 McKulick returned $12.80, $6.70 and $3.90. The $2 exacta brought $110.50.

Through three quarters of a mile, McKulick and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. were content letting Cairo Memories set the pace. Coming out of the far turn, With The Moonlight took command. That gave Ortiz his cue. He took McKulick four wide and pounced. By the eighth pole, they were alongside With The Moonlight. By the sixteenth, they had that lead.

She was faster than the boys

McKulick stopped the clock in 1:59.62, more than a third-of-a-second faster than Belmont Derby winner Classic Causeway clocked for the same distance two races later.

“I got a beautiful trip. I broke and followed the instructions �?tried to save ground and let her get to some position,�?Ortiz Jr. said after the race. “She broke sharp and she put me in good position right in behind horses. I bided my time and saved some ground. At the three-eights pole, I started asking her a bit and she just ran really good and nice.�?/p>

Both Brown and Ortiz said the 10 furlongs were the difference. This was the longest race McKulick ran in her five-race (2-2-1) career and she neatly illustrated she wants more distance.

Stretching McKulick out was a work in progress

“She was really born to run a mile and a quarter. We were patiently waiting for a long time to get her to this distance and my whole team did a super job with this horse in all divisions this filly has been in throughout the year,�?Brown said. “She’s special and she finally got enough room to fully utilize that closing kick she has.�?/p>

The Belmont Oaks was the first leg of the NYRA Turf Triple series for fillies. Next up is the 1 3/16-mile Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Aug. 7 and the 11-furlong, Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational during the Belmont Park Fall Meet.

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He came out of it a Grade 1 winner, a millionaire and a potential turf terror in waiting.

As a 26/1 afterthought, Classic Causeway captured Saturday’s Belmont Derby in gate-to-wire fashion. He held off Irish-bred, 2/1 favorite Nations Pride by three-quarters of a length. Fellow Irish-bred Stone Age (5/2) finished a head behind Nations Pride in third.

Those horseplayers who bypassed McPeek’s more-heralded Tiz the Bomb �?who finished ninth at 5/1 �?for his turf rookie stablemate were amply rewarded. Classic Causeway paid $55.50, $19.80 and $9.90 for a $2 wager. The $2 exacta paid $408 and the $2 trifecta, $1,876. Throwing Todd Pletcher’s Grand Sonata at 32/1 on the back end of a 10 cent superfecta brought you $1,671.70.

Say hello to a new millionaire

The victory and $535,000 payday, meanwhile, brought Classic Causeway’s career earnings to $1.12 million. He’s now 4-1-2 in nine starts, with three of the victories coming in graded stakes. But this was the son of Giant’s Causeway’s first Grade 1 score.

And it came in impressive fashion. In his typical front-running fashion, Classic Causeway broke out to an early lead. Only Royal Patronage pressed him, which allowed jockey Julien Leparoux to settle the colt into a nice rhythm. That rhythm produced splits of 23.55 seconds (quarter mile), 48.02 (half) and 1:12.33 (three-quarters).

“The plan was to go on the lead. The only time I was a little worried was in the first turn when Joel (Rosario aboard Royal Patronage) was kind of head-to-head with me,�?Leparoux told the New York Racing Association’s Brian Bohl. “When he took back, my horse got to cruising and happy to be on the lead. I was getting him to relax nicely and switch off. It was a good run for him.�?/p>

This is what being the lone speed produces

Coming out of the turn, Nations Pride made his move, going outside and opening up under Frankie Dettori. But Leparoux had plenty of horse in reserve. He answered Dettori’s push, holding him off by a head at the wire. Classic Causeway stopped the clock in an impressive 1:59.99 for the 1 ¼ miles.

“We knew he was pretty much the speed in the race,�?co-owner Patrick O’Keefe said after the race. “He’s like a 14-year-old kid that can throw a baseball 100 miles per hour. Now, he’s slowed down a little to 90 miles per hour and can hit the plate. (McPeek) is amazing. To me, he’s a life send. I have someone who really knows the breeding and knows where to put them. I loved it (running him on turf).�?/p>

O’Keefe and fellow owner Clarke Cooper moved Classic Causeway from Brian Lynch to McPeek’s barn after the colt finished 11^th in the Kentucky Derby and last in the Florida Derby. The move initially surprised the conditioner, but he rolled up his sleeves and put Classic Causeway in the Ohio Derby. There, he finished third to fellow Kentucky Derby alums Tawny Port and White Abarrio.

Classic Causeway brought a healthy appetite to turf

O’Keefe didn’t blink when McPeek suggested putting Classic Causeway on grass. Nor did he flinch when the trainer suggested rolling him back on two weeks rest.

“He came back good and was eating the bottom out of the feedbag. What Kenny says, I do,�?O’Keefe said.

“It was Kenny’s idea to wheel him right back on the grass, and it paid off today for sure,�?Leparoux said.

Anchoring the penultimate day of Belmont Park’s Spring/Summer Meet, the Belmont Derby is the first leg of NYRA’s Turf Triple series. The next leg is the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational Aug. 6. The series wraps up with the 1 ½-mile Grade 3 Jockey Club Derby Invitational during Belmont Park’s Fall Meet.

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Even at 8, Channel Maker had no trouble covering 12 furlongs. Nor did he have much trouble turning aside the younger Highest Honors and Soldier Rising, who led at the stretch call. But Channel Maker played the crafty veteran at the end, overcoming his rival and winning by a neck as the 6/5 favorite.

“He always tries �?that’s him. He’s always waiting on other horses, and today, he came to the top of the stretch and was fighting,�?jockey Luis Saez told the New York Racing Association’s Ryan Martin. “He finally bot the jump in the last bit. He fights and he doesn’t win that impressively, but he can run in a little stake or a big stake the same. He just wants to be there first and he doesn’t want to give into anyone.�?/p>

Saez was the sixth rider to win a race aboard Channel Maker. Earlier this year, the pair teamed to win the Grade 2 Elkhorn April 23 at Keeneland.

Owners, jockeys alike left impressed

And Saez wasn’t the only one left in awe. All Dean Reeves, who co-owns the English Channel progeny with R.A. Hill Stable, Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable, could do was marvel at the wizardry of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

“To keep an 8-year-old at this level �?a horse that’s come back from overseas �?and has won so many Grade 1s is impressive. He’s got the horse to work with, who has tremendous heart. He wants to be on the lead and you’ve got to come beat him,�?Reeves said after the race. “He showed today his tenacity and heart. If they were all like that, we’d be having blanket finishes. He’s a fan favorite and it’s great that he’s stayed around for this long, so the fans really get to where they know Channel Maker.�?/p>

It’s easy to know Channel Maker because he’s been around long enough to know. That an 8-year-old full horse is still winning stakes races at major tracks is unicorn-esque in today’s world of win-and-get-to-the-breeding-shed-ASAP. Last year was the only year Channel Maker didn’t win a stakes race in his seven years on the track. That’s because Channel Maker went an uncharacteristic 0-for-6 in 2021.

Channel Maker made up for lost time

He rectified that oversight right out of the 2022 gate, winning that Elkhorn for his first victory in eight races and 18 months. The last time Channel Maker found the winner’s circle came in October 2020 in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. That, in turn, came on the heels of Channel Maker’s score in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga.

Channel Maker owns nine career victories in 46 starts (9-6-5). Four of the nine came in Grade 1s: the 2019 Man o’ War, 2020 Sword Dancer and the 2018 and 2020 Joe Hirsch Turf Classics. All nine of his victories came in stakes, starting with the 2016 Black-Type Vandal at Woodbine. That came in his second career race as a juvenile.

Add it all up and Channel Maker �?a $57,000 purchase as a yearling �?banked $3,678,076 in career earnings.

“He runs in Grade 1s, and he’s been all over the world and he just gets it done,�?Reeves said. “He brings his best game every time.�?/p>

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After supertrainer Aidan O’Brien sent Bolshoi Ballet across the Atlantic and into the Belmont Park winner’s circle in 2021, the British are definitely coming. So are the Irish. And the French. All told, five European horses are in the 13-horse field tackling the 1 1/4-mile trek around Belmont Park’s inner turf course.

The Belmont Derby headlines Belmont Park’s Stars and Stripes Racing Festival. It’s the ninth race on a card that offers up four stakes races, including its sister: the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational. There’s also the Grade 2 Suburban and the Grade 3 Victory Ride.

The Belmont Derby comprises the first leg of the Turf Triple series for 3-year-old turf horses. Next up is the Aug. 6 Grade 1 Saratoga Derby, followed by the Grade 3 Jockey Club Derby Invitational at Belmont Park this fall.

Stone Age anything but extinct here

To get to those coming attractions means getting past the first leg. And that means getting past an European armada led by two Irish colts: O’Brien’s Stone Age, the tepid 9/2 favorite, and Charlie Appleby’s Nations Pride (5/1).

Starting in Europe isn’t a bad place, considering that only two of the eight Americans: Tiz the Bomb (6/1) and Classic Causeway (12/1), have run 1 1/4 miles. And both did it on dirt in the Kentucky Derby. Tiz the Bomb finished ninth, Classic Causeway, 11th.

That established, along with Bolshoi Ballet setting the table, Stone Age is the 9/2 favorite in this deep field for a reason. His victory in the Group 3 Derby Trial was more impressive than his sixth in the Epsom Derby as the second favorite was disappointing.

Following Bolshoi Ballet’s dance

Along with that, Stone Age owns two victories at this 10-furlong distance: that Derby Trial and a maiden-breaking race in March. He’s also following the same playbook O’Brien used with Bolshoi Ballet. Oh, and ace jockey Ryan Moore returns in the irons.

“He’s a good moving horse and a good, strong traveler,” O’Brien said. “He’s very happy to be forward and to take the lead and he’s drawn wide. But he’s very uncomplicated, we think.”

Nations Pride arrives after his four-race winning streak ended at Epsom with an eighth. He’s actually cutting back in distance to 10 furlongs, the distance his granddam, Satwa Queen built her career at.

Three of his victories during that streak came at 10 furlongs, including the Jumeirah Derby on the Dubai World Cup undercard in March.

Nations Pride cutting back to 10 furlongs

“He just didn’t stay in the English Derby,” Appleby said about that eighth-place finish. “The quicker the ground, the better for him and he’s proven that already at Meydan’s quick, sound surface. “More importantly, coming back to the 10 furlongs will suit. He stays that well and on a sound surface, especially. He’s coming over there in good order and I think he’ll be a live player.”

The other Europeans are Royal Patronage (12/1), Machete (20/1), and Implementation (20/1).

As for the Americans, the logical starter is Tiz the Bomb, who offers value at his 6/1 — courtesy of the Europeans. He also offers versatility, owning victories on dirt, turf and synthetic, where he swept the Turfway Park Derby preps. Don’t discount his strong second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

“I think the further the better with him. He’s all class,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “A mile and a sixteenth has been easy enough for him, but I think he should be able to get into a nice rhythm, and I think he’ll have a big shot in the race. He’s doing really well. He’s been training here in Kentucky on the grass all spring since the Derby and we’re excited to get him back on turf.”

Wasn’t Classic Causeway in the Ohio Derby?

As for his new stablemate, Classic Causeway, he makes his turf debut two weeks after finishing third in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby. That was the front-running colt’s first outing for McPeek.

The Belmont Derby being a turf race at Belmont Park, Chad Brown isn’t far away. And the four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner sends out Napoleonic War (10/1). He finished second to Emmanuel, who is in the field at 6/1, in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge.

According to Xpressbet, Brown has the best winning percentage of any trainer this spring in Belmont stakes races. He’s 13-for-41 (32%).

Not far behind, at 31% (8-for-36) is Todd Pletcher, Emmanuel’s trainer. The More Than Ready colt ran his first five races on dirt, including a third in the Grade 1 Blue Grass. But afterward, Pletcher saw the grass was truly greener. And after Emmanuel won the Pennine Ridge in his turf debut, the Belmont Derby was the logical next step.

Grade 1 Belmont Derby/Belmont Park

Morning Line (Jockey/Trainer)

1. Implementation, 20/1 (John Velazquez/Pia Brandt)
2. Stolen Base, 10/1 (Luis Saez/Mike Maker)
3. Napoleonic War, 10/1 (Flavien Prat/Chad Brown)
4. Classic Causeway, 12/1 (Julien Leparoux/Kenny McPeek)
5. Grand Sonata, 20/1 (Tyler Gaffalione/Todd Pletcher)
6. Machete, 20/1 (Stephane Pasquier/Fabrice Chappet)
7. Sy Dog, 10/1 (Manny Franco/Graham Motion)
8. Royal Patronage, 12/1 (Joel Rosario/Charlie Johnson)
9. Tiz the Bomb, 6/1 (Dylan Davis/Kenny McPeek)
10. Nations Pride, 5/1 (Frankie Dettori/Charlie Appleby)
11. Emmanuel, 6/1 (Irad Ortiz Jr./Todd Pletcher)
12. Limited Liability, 12/1 (Jose Ortiz/Shug McGaughey)
13. Stone Age, 9/2 (Ryan Moore/Aidan O’Brien)

“He worked well on the turf and we felt like the Pennine Ridge was the logical place to give it a try,” Pletcher said. “It was a good prep for the Belmont Derby. He took to it and we’re happy to step it up and give it a try. I think the mile and a quarter should be within his scope.”

Pletcher also sends out Grand Sonata (20/1), who Pletcher lauded for his consistency, if not his recent form, a second and a third in two Churchill Downs stakes.

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The New York Racing Association starts this week’s Cross Country Pick 5 at home with the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational. The 10-filly field of 3-year-olds comes with a heavy European flavor, with half the field shipping in from across the Atlantic.

Leading the invaders is Agartha, who won two group events as a 2-year-old before finishing fifth in her last start, the Group 1 Irish 1,000 Guineas. Europe’s top trainer, Aidan O’Brien, has a presence with Group 1-placed Concert Hall. Chad Brown has a presence as well. He sends out the trio of Consumer Spending, McKulick, and Haughty. Consumer Spending won four of her last five, including the Grade 2 Wonder Again.

The second leg of the sequence is Big Sandy’s flagship event, the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational. The brother event to the Belmont Oaks Invitational, the Belmont Derby sends its 13 sophomores 10 furlongs on the grass. It’s the first race in the NYRA’s Turf Triple Series.

You may want to spread here

It’s also a race that is staggeringly deep for horseplayers. The depth starts with European invaders Nations Pride and Stone Age. Trainer Charlie Appleby’s Nations Pride had his four-race winning streak snapped with an eighth in the Epsom Derby. Before that, he hadn’t missed the exacta in five races (4-1-0). O’Brien’s Stone Age had his two-race win streak snapped with a sixth in the Epsom Derby.

Todd Pletcher answers with graded stakes winners Grand Sonata and Emmanuel. Grand Sonata comes in off a third in the Audubon at Churchill Downs. Emmanuel comes in off a successful transition to the turf in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge. And Kenny McPeek sends out Kentucky Derby expats Tiz the Bomb (who finished ninth) and turf newcomer Classic Causeway (11th).

That wraps up Belmont Park’s contribution to this week’s Cross Country Pick 5 and sends matters west to Indianapolis for the last three legs. The first of those is the Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial. This 1 1/16-mile turf test comes with a field of 12, along with two also-eligibles.

Ivar is back in an unfamiliar spot

The horse most eyes will gravitate toward is Grade 1 winner Ivar, who returns for the first time in seven months. The last time we saw Ivar was when he finished seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Mile last November. If you want someone a little fresher, there’s Somelikeithotbrown, who arrives off a fifth in the Black-Type Kingston Stakes at Belmont Park in late May. The 6-year-old multiple-graded stakes winner went 2-2-1 in six races last year.

The fourth leg of the Cross Country Pick 5 is the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks. That sends its eight 3-year-olds 1 1/16 miles, led by two Brad Cox choices, Interstatedaydream and Patna. Interstatedaydream arrives off her sensational victory in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan held on Preakness weekend at Pimlico. Patna makes her stakes debut after winning a first-level Churchill Downs allowance by 3 1/4 lengths.

The Cross Country Pick 5 wraps up with the Grade 3 Indiana Derby, where we see the return of Grade 2 Rebel Stakes winner Un Ojo. The one-eyed gelding hasn’t run since finishing a disappointing eighth in the Arkansas Derby. He makes his debut for new trainer Robertino Diodoro, who inherited the horse after a bone bruise knocked him out of the Preakness.

Cross Country Pick 5

It won’t be an easy comeback. Not with Cox’s undefeated Best Actor going for his third consecutive victory. And not with McPeek audaciously bringing back Grade 1 winner Rattle N Roll a week after he won the American Derby at Churchill Downs. Steve Asmussen brings in Texas Derby winner King Ottoman as well.

The Cross Country Pick 5 carries a 50-cent minimum and a 15% takeout. Equibase past performances are available here.

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The Suburban, which sends its 4-year-olds and up 10 furlongs on Big Sandy, is one of four stakes races on Belmont Park’s Stars and Stripes Racing Festival card. That card is headlined by the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational and the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational. It also features the Grade 3 Victory Ride.

Trying to boost participation in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, the New York Racing Association will waive starting, nomination, and entry fees for the top four Suburban finishers. The winner of that Sept. 3 race at Saratoga earns a “Win and You’re In” berth into the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Given what his charges are doing at Belmont Park, you can almost expect to see Dynamic One in that Jockey Club Gold Cup. Last weekend, Pletcher swept all four stakes races on Belmont Park’s Independence Day Weekend cards. He won the Grade 2 John A. Nerud with Life Is Good, the Grade 3 Dwyer with Charge It, the Perfect Sting with Jouster, and the Manilla with Annapolis.

Dynamic One improving at 4

Now, the Hall of Fame conditioner is pressing his momentum with Dynamic One. If that name sounds familiar, you paid attention to his trek along the 2021 Triple Crown trail. That means you know about his second in the Wood Memorial in his stakes debut and his 18th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

But perhaps you stopped paying attention at that point. That means you missed his Curlin Stakes victory two months later. And his seventh in the Travers the following month. And you probably didn’t notice that, this year, Dynamic One hasn’t finished off the board in three races (1-1-1).

That includes his last-out victory over his rival Scalding in the June 4 Listed Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs. That came with a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure and no small matter of satisfaction. Scalding beat Dynamic One in both the Grade 3 Challenger in March at Tampa Bay Downs and in the Grade 2 Ben Ali at Keeneland a month later. Dynamic One finished third in the Challenger and runner-up in the Ben Ali.

Pletcher brings two to the Suburban

“I think he ran very well last time and has taken a step forward in each of his starts this year,” Pletcher told the NYRA. “We’re hopefully heading in the right direction. He’s a horse that we always thought would improve with a little age and we have kind of seen that so far this season. Each race has been a gradual step forward, so, hopefully, he continues on that trend.”

The son of 2012 Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags, Dynamic One set his well-heeled owners, Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Phipps Stable, back $725K at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Pletcher also has a backup Suburban entry with Untreated. The son of 2016 Derby winner Nyquist is seeking a return to his 2021 form that produced two victories out of the gate. Untreated has a third, second, and a sixth since then. The third came last out, in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special to First Captain. The second came the start before, in the April 2 Excelsior at Aqueduct.

Max Player returns to defend

Speaking of First Captain, the $1.5 million colt heads into Belmont Park for the first time since winning last year’s Dwyer. With celebrity chef Bobby Flay as one of his owners, First Captain is 5-for-7 and has missed the board only once. That came two starts ago in the Grade 1 Carter, where the son of Curlin finished an uncharacteristic seventh.

And we haven’t mentioned the lone millionaire in this field, Max Player. Nor have we mentioned that he’s the defending Suburban champion. A repeat here would make Max Player the first horse to go back-to-back in the Suburban since the late Effinex in 2015-16. He hasn’t found the winner’s circle since winning last year’s Jockey Club Gold Cup.

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Pletcher captured the Grade 2 John A. Nerud with Life Is Good and the Grade 3 Dwyer with Charge It on Saturday. His Jouster took Sunday’s Perfect Sting, with Annapolis winning the Manila Stakes on Monday.

“We’ve had a great weekend,” Pletcher told the New York Racing Association. “It’s been a lot of fun for the whole team and a lot of people putting in a lot of work for it. I’m grateful.”

That great weekend began when Life Is Good handily defeated his Grade 1-winning rival Speaker’s Corner in the seven-furlong Nerud. Using his early speed, Life Is Good broke smartly from the rail and cruised home five lengths ahead.

‘Only one outcome that was OK … to win’

“You never take anything for granted,” Pletcher said after the race. “There’s only one outcome that was OK and that was for him to win. He ran against a Grade 1 winner and drew the rail, so you worry about all those things. He broke sharp, high cruising speed and just kept going. I loved the way he galloped out.”

Pletcher said that lines up Life Is Good for the Aug. 6 Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga.

As impressive as Life Is Good looked, Charge It looked even better. He atoned for his 17th-place Kentucky Derby finish with a 23-length destruction of his overwhelmed fellow sophomores in the one-mile Dwyer. It was Charge It’s first stakes victory.

Pletcher awed by Charge It’s victory margin

Starting on the rail like Life Is Good, the 3/5 favorite took command around the far turn and that was that. He led by 10 at the stretch call and, even running green toward the wire, extended his lead to a Secretariat-esque 23 lengths. Charge It’s 111 Beyer Speed Figure was the highest number recorded by a 3-year-old this year. His previous best was the 93 he posted in his runner-up finish to White Abarrio in the Florida Derby.

“That’s pretty crazy,” Pletcher said about the win margin. “We thought he would run well, and you never think of one winning by that type of margin, but he’s a colt that we’ve always been very high on, and he’s always trained like a horse that was capable of great things. He’s starting to get a bit more maturity and seasoning now, and I still think there’s room for improvement.”

With Charge It fully recovered from the displaced palate that affected him in that subpar Derby finish, Pletcher is looking toward Saratoga for Charge It’s next campaigns. Expect to see him in the July 30 Grade 2 Jim Dandy and the Aug. 27 Grade 1 Travers.

Four wins across the class spectrum Saturday

Those performances anchored a four-win Saturday for Pletcher, who also won with $2 million yearling purchase Capensis and New York-bred gelding Jerry the Nipper.

Fast forward to Monday and there was Annapolis trying to put his first career defeat behind him — a second in the June 3 Penn Mile. He did so, with a 2 3/4-length score over a mile on the Widener Turf Course. Like his stablemates, Annapolis was odds-on at 3/5.

And like his stablemates, he made it look easy. Behind a strong ride by Irad Ortiz Jr., Annapolis found a seam in the stretch. Ortiz split two of his rivals, kicked Annapolis into another gear, and had him in hand by the 16th pole.

Remember the Penn Mile? Pletcher does

That was Annapolis’ second stakes win in four starts. Pletcher explained that the second at the Penn Mile came due to extremely soft turf — “bottomless,” as the trainer described it. Ortiz came off the horse after that race and told Pletcher, “Todd, I got a perfect trip, the track beat me today. My horse was trying. At the eighth pole, it felt like he was going to get there and he started struggling on the track.”

Pletcher said the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on the Aug. 6 Whitney undercard is likely next for Annapolis. The trainer said Annapolis should handle stretching out to 1 3/16 miles.

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